Mortimer Adler is to philosophy what Thomas Sowell is to economics and public policy; he clarifies complex ideas so that the lay person can easily understand complex concepts. And that's what he did in this book.
Many of the reviewers on Amazon have stated that although this is a populist book, it is not for the reader to whom philosophy is unknown. I would disagree. I have never read nor studied Kant, Aristotle, or Locke -- indeed, I have a high school education -- yet I understood 90% of what Adler teaches in this book. I listened to the audiobook, but I plan to purchase the paperback format so I can go through it again, making annotations.
One of Adler's main points to the reader is to understand the difference between knowledge, understanding, and opinion, and how we acquire each of these. He also points out where accepted philosophical assumptions need to be clarified or corrected.
Adler is not a Christian, and his worldview necessarily comes through in his assessments (how do we find truth?). Nevertheless, this is a good book to get the average person thinking clearly, questioning, and building on logical precepts. Not an exciting read, but an enlightening one for sure.
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